Chapter 79: Two Colossal Walls
Teppei Kiyoshi’s pupils shrank, his lips trembling as his eyes locked onto Miyamoto Tokima.
‘Two… two walls?’
Seeing Teppei Kiyoshi suddenly freeze, Miyamoto Tokima immediately guessed that he was overthinking again. He shook his head helplessly and stepped forward.
In Teppei Kiyoshi’s vision, two towering iron walls suddenly closed in on him, compressing his space and sealing off his offensive options. The walls pressed closer and closer against his sides, and under that crushing pressure, even his breathing became labored.
‘Damn it! What the hell is this?!’
Smack!
Teppei Kiyoshi felt his hands go empty as the basketball was slapped away.
The instant the steal was completed, the two iron walls vanished, and the overwhelming pressure disappeared with them. Teppei Kiyoshi bent over, gulping down air, not even turning around to get back on defense.
After stealing the ball, Miyamoto Tokima saw Shuzo Nijimura and Daiki Aomine sprinting ahead at the same time.
Both of them raised their hands and shouted:
“Tokima! Ball!”
“Miyamoto! Ball!”
Miyamoto Tokima rolled his eyes and casually tossed the ball forward. Whoever got it was none of his business.
Daiki Aomine called out to Shuzo Nijimura,
“Shuzo, this one’s mine!”
Shuzo Nijimura replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes,
“Aomine, watch your tone. That pass should obviously be mine.”
Daiki Aomine yelled,
“Then let’s settle it with skill!!!”
Shuzo Nijimura’s expression turned serious.
“Fine. Come on, Aomine!”
Both of them shouted as they reached for the incoming ball at the same time. They collided mid-run, fighting for position as the ball dropped between them. During the scramble, it bounced off to Daiki Aomine’s right.
Daiki Aomine’s face lit up. He stretched out his right hand and shouted,
“Hahahaha! This one’s mine!”
Shuzo Nijimura’s forehead twitched. He immediately grabbed Daiki Aomine and yanked him back.
“That ball is mine!”
Dragged away, Daiki Aomine instantly protested,
“That’s a foul!”
Shuzo Nijimura laughed as he picked up the ball and laid it in. After scoring, he turned to Daiki Aomine with a smug grin.
“What foul? We’re teammates—what foul could there be?”
Daiki Aomine fumed.
“Shuzo, that’s not fair play!”
Shuzo Nijimura shrugged and said with a sly smile,
“You said whoever got it would score.”
Daiki Aomine was about to argue again, but the referee’s whistle cut him off.
“Beep! Teikō requests a timeout!”
Daiki Aomine stormed off the court in frustration, while Shuzo Nijimura followed behind him, smiling contentedly.
After everyone left the court, Kōzō Shirogane spoke up,
“Akashi in for Kuroko. Murasakibara in for Shiroiwa.”
On Shōei’s side, the coach rapidly issued instructions,
“Double-team! Double-team Teikō’s number seven!”
Teppei Kiyoshi interrupted him,
“Coach, if we double-team, the others will be left open.”
The coach thought for a moment, then clenched his teeth.
“Then double him only when he has the ball! Don’t let him attack or pass easily! I don’t believe he can make clean passes under a two-man trap!”
The Shōei players nodded, ready to head back out.
...
The game resumed.
Shōei’s point guard brought the ball up the court. When he saw the red-haired player back on the floor, an idea struck him, and he called Teppei Kiyoshi over for a screen.
After the pick, the point guard didn’t try to isolate against Atsushi Murasakibara. Instead, he passed the ball to Teppei Kiyoshi, creating a mismatch against Seijuro Akashi.
Teppei Kiyoshi caught the ball one step inside the three-point line. Facing the much smaller Seijuro Akashi, he chose the simplest option.
Post-up.
With his back to Akashi, Teppei Kiyoshi backed down steadily. Seijuro Akashi gritted his teeth and braced himself against Teppei Kiyoshi’s back.
Knowing he couldn’t win in pure strength, Seijuro Akashi suddenly stepped back, trying to throw Teppei Kiyoshi off balance.
But Teppei Kiyoshi seemed to have anticipated it. Not only did he stay upright, the retreat actually let him step fully into the paint.
Seizing the chance, Teppei Kiyoshi laid the ball in.
Seijuro Akashi shook his head helplessly.
He wasn’t frustrated by being scored on in a mismatch. He still remembered what Miyamoto Tokima had said to him before—he wouldn’t let a single possession like this affect his mindset.
Seijuro Akashi organized the offense again. As soon as Daiki Aomine broke free, the ball arrived right on time, perfectly delivered into his hands.
Daiki Aomine knocked down the shot with ease.
Possession changed.
Shōei’s point guard tried to repeat the same play, calling for Teppei Kiyoshi to set another screen. But this time, he noticed Atsushi Murasakibara hadn’t moved—instead, Miyamoto Tokima had.
Atsushi Murasakibara rotated out to guard Shōei’s small forward on the perimeter, while Miyamoto Tokima followed Teppei Kiyoshi out.
The point guard hesitated briefly, but still went ahead with the screen.
After the pick, he quickly passed the ball to Teppei Kiyoshi.
This time, however, the defender in front of Teppei Kiyoshi wasn’t Seijuro Akashi—it was Miyamoto Tokima. Miyamoto Tokima didn’t help on the ball handler, allowing Seijuro Akashi to circle around and pick up the point guard instead.
Teppei Kiyoshi’s expression darkened. The memory of those two iron walls was still fresh in his mind.
He took a deep breath and decided not to clash head-on with Miyamoto Tokima.
But when he glanced around the court, he realized none of his teammates were in a good position to receive a pass.
Left with no other choice, Teppei Kiyoshi had to attack himself.
He turned his back to Miyamoto Tokima and rammed into him twice using the same post-up move as before—only to find that he couldn’t move him at all.
‘How is this possible…’
Teppei Kiyoshi turned to face Miyamoto Tokima head-on. Miyamoto Tokima looked calm and steady, not giving up an inch.
The seconds ticked away, the shot clock nearly empty. Gritting his teeth, Teppei Kiyoshi drove to the right.
Miyamoto Tokima stayed glued to him, perfectly positioned.
Unable to get past, Teppei Kiyoshi stopped to reset—but the moment he did, a hand appeared from nowhere.
Smack!
Daiki Aomine burst out from behind and stripped the ball clean.
Miyamoto Tokima immediately picked it up and sprinted toward the frontcourt.
Daiki Aomine chased closely behind, shouting,
“Miyamoto!”
Miyamoto Tokima understood instantly. He slowed down, and when he reached the basket, he flicked the ball up off the backboard.
The ball bounced back, and Daiki Aomine soared up behind him, a joyful grin spreading across his face.
“Miyamoto! Thanks!”
Catching the rebound midair, Daiki Aomine slammed it through the hoop.
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